The material settling on the inside of the centrifuge drum during operation of the centrifuge causes imbalances on account of the unavoidable nonuniform mass distribution, which imbalances lead to vibrations and associated high level solid-borne sound and bearing wear.
Devices for the avoidance of undesired vibrations on rotating machine parts are known. In German patent document DE-OS 37 34 761 it is proposed to support the bearing housing with respect to the machine frame via a multiplicity of coil springs, so as to avoid of high forces and shaking of the bearings and the machine frame that are caused as a consequence of the dead weight of the centrifuge and operationally induced imbalances causing displacement of the rotation axis of the centrifuge.
Another known possibility for the damping of vibrations of rotating machine parts consists in the use of hydraulic bearing supports for mounting, as is proposed, for example, in German patent document DE-OS 38 31 928. These hydraulic bearings have a chamber system filled with a fluid. Vibrations occurring on the rotating machine part are detected by a measurement and control system and transformed via a servo valve into pressure variations in the fluid of the chamber. The pressure variations generated are transmitted as force actions to the external bearing shells of the rotor or, respectively, to the shaft. The force transmission here takes place perpendicularly to the axis of the rotor, via actuating elements that have, for example, a linear ball or roller bearing or consist of flexing bars.
In this known embodiment of a hydraulic bearing support, in which the chamber filled with a fluid is formed from two membranes connected in series, the transmittable forces are limited and larger rotational masses thus cannot be supported with this embodiment. In the case of occurring tangential forces, moreover, it cannot be excluded that the chamber can be displaced correspondingly.